What elements of the game of school are you seeing in your placements?
In my placements I have seen that often times in groups students will rely on one or two students for answers on projects/group work. These students are completing assignments without actually doing much of the critical thinking or learning the material. They are able to get a decent grade because they have the same answers as their partners but they did not have much input on the assignment.
Another part of GOS that I have seen is that students have the same learning opportunities and learn how to do the assignment and not learn the content.
How have you seen teachers fight the game of school in their classes?
In previous placements I have heard teachers talking about difficulties they have been having with administration. Most of these complaints have been centralized around the idea that administrators do not have the classroom experience that would lead them to understand the realities in the classroom. Teachers expressed the macroscopic observations that administrators make/understand but they also mentioned that administration attempts to regulate the microscopic classroom details that they have limited experience in directing. By trying to micromanage, administrators seem to make teachers disgruntled.
As far as students participation in the GOS, I see that many of them know how to get around the system such as avoiding participating in assignments, minimizing the amount of effort they need to put into assignments, and doing the least amount of work to get by. A lot of my students that I have seen know just what to do in order to get by. This focuses their attention on reducing the amount of work they have to do instead of on learning the material. The reality of this situation is that students are preoccupied with outside distractions (friends, social media, tv) that they tend to participate in school only because they have to. This “because I have to” mentality often leads students to figure out ways to get around doing work. (Learning how to avoid school)
What features can you plan into your units that might discourage the GOS?
In order to discourage the GOS in my classroom I can make my lessons interesting and significant to the students. Curriculum that is outdated will make students not invest themselves in the activity, this will cause them to just get it done for the sake of getting it done. Using a variety of assessment methods can help reduce GOS. Different approaches in student assessment will give them more opportunity to show off their skills, but this also creates a situation that they are not used to. By putting students in situations that they are not used to seeing it is harder for them to get around learning and exploring the content.
Finally, what impact will this description of the GOS have on your own approach to teaching as expressed in your teaching philosophy?
I believe that this description of the GOS will lead me to have more active learning opportunities, letting students choose topics that they may want to learn about. By doing this students will invest more time in their assignments. I will also provide scaffolding and support to students when they encounter challenges in material. Encouraging them to take on challenges is what they need to succeed in the real world. By learning that challenges and mistakes are learning opportunities students will be better prepared for their future jobs.
- In my placements I have seen that often times in groups students will rely on one or two students for answers on projects/group work. These students are completing assignments without actually doing much of the critical thinking or learning the material. They are able to get a decent grade because they have the same answers as their partners but they did not have much input on the assignment.
- Another part of GOS that I have seen is that students have the same learning opportunities and learn how to do the assignment and not learn the content.
How have you seen teachers fight the game of school in their classes?What features can you plan into your units that might discourage the GOS?
Finally, what impact will this description of the GOS have on your own approach to teaching as expressed in your teaching philosophy?